By now, most everyone has heard that the Supreme Court has refused to revisit it's 1925 "Chicago Diversion" decision. The States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, along with the Province of Ontario, Canada, faced with the sure and certain destruction of their painstakingly nurtured seven billion-dollar a year recreational fishery, joined to petition the court to close the Chicago Locks, a move they believe would prevent the five species of Asian maurauders that, after escaping from Catfish farms in Mississippi in the 1970's, have taken the Mississppi and Ohio River basins by storm, from entering the Great Lakes and doing the same thing there. If you have not seen these creatures in motion, it's time you did.

There's an excellent article on Great Lakes diversion projects, including the Chicago Diversion, here. And for an analysis of the overall situation from a reporter who's been following the issue, check Andy Buchsbaum's blog "Great Lakes on the Ground."